Fani Willis returned to the Georgia State Capitol Monday to blast legislative proposals to rein in district attorneys.
The Fulton County district attorney called a recent investigation of her prosecution of President Donald Trump and her romance with a special prosecutor that derailed that prosecution a politically motivated “clown show” and called the resulting legislation a waste of time.
“If you think you are going to impact me by threats, by legislation or anything else, you are not,” Willis told the news media after speaking to several hundred people at an International Women’s Day event at the Capitol.
“There are so many real things they could be doing for Georgians,” Willis said. “Instead, they play games.”
It was Willis’ first trip to the Capitol since she testified to the Senate Special Committee on Investigations in December. The committee spent two years investigating Willis’ conduct in the election interference case against Trump and 18 other defendants.
Credit: David Wickert
Credit: David Wickert
That case began with four guilty pleas but went off the rails when defense attorneys accused Willis of having a conflict of interest because of a romantic relationship with a special prosecutor she hired to oversee the case.
The Georgia Court of Appeals later disqualified Willis from the case — a decision upheld last fall by the Georgia Supreme Court. The case against the remaining defendants — including Trump — was dismissed in November.
Last Friday, the Senate approved Senate Bill 605, which would establish new grounds for disciplining or removing district attorneys or solicitors general. The new criteria include making charging decisions based on undisclosed conflicts of interest, failure to comply with the State Bar of Georgia’s code of professional conduct and failure to comply with state open records laws.
On Friday, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones hailed the measure as a needed response to “Fani Willis’s lawfare of President Trump and his allies.”
Jones said the bill would give the state Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission “the ability to go after DAs who refuse to be transparent, who engage in unprofessional attorney conduct, and who don’t take seriously their duties to victims of crimes.”
The Senate rejected a second proposal that would have created statewide grand juries to handle election and voting crimes.
In her December testimony, Willis blasted the Senate panel as a politically motivated witch hunt. Numerous members of the committee are running for higher office — including Chairman Bill Cowsert, who is seeking the Republican nomination for attorney general.
At Monday’s event honoring women, Willis scolded the senators again.
“They’re mad I have the audacity to believe and practice the principle that no one is above or below the law,” Willis told the crowd.
The Senate bill now awaits action in the House of Representatives.
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